MAIN STREET
Then: Houston Press readers were given the answer to this one on the first day of the contest. Surprisingly, one still got it wrong.
Now: Some guessed Prospect, Plummer and Industrial.

MAIN STREET
Then: Houston Press readers were given the answer to this one on the first day of the contest. Surprisingly, one still got it wrong.
Now: Some guessed Prospect, Plummer and Industrial.

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CONGRESS
Then: Some confused it with Austin.
Now: A few guessed Capitol but overwhelmingly, many got it correct.

CONGRESS
Then: Some confused it with Austin.
Now: A few guessed Capitol but overwhelmingly, many got it correct.

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CHESTNUT
Then: Only a few were stumped by this one.
Now: Some guessed Lockwood, but many guessed correctly.

CHESTNUT
Then: Only a few were stumped by this one.
Now: Some guessed Lockwood, but many guessed correctly.

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JACKSON
Then: Many managed to get this one right.
Now: Roughly 90 years later, many still got this one right.

JACKSON
Then: Many managed to get this one right.
Now: Roughly 90 years later, many still got this one right.

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KIPLING
Then: "Barrack Room Ballads" was written by Rudyard Kipling. Many were stumped by this one.
Now: The majority guessed correctly.

KIPLING
Then: "Barrack Room Ballads" was written by Rudyard Kipling. Many were stumped by this one.
Now: The majority guessed correctly.

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LYONS
Then: Only a few missed this one.
Now: Nearly everyone got this correct.

LYONS
Then: Only a few missed this one.
Now: Nearly everyone got this correct.

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CONNER
Then: This is a sketch of Dr. B.U.L. Conner, a Houston Press columnist at the time. Some thought there was a catch to it and submitted other names.
Now: No one got this correct, though some guessed the correct street name elsewhere. less

CONNER
Then: This is a sketch of Dr. B.U.L. Conner, a Houston Press columnist at the time. Some thought there was a catch to it and submitted other names.
Now: No one got this correct, though some ... more

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EASTWOOD
Now: Many got this one correct. Why East and West are switched, I have no idea.

EASTWOOD
Now: Many got this one correct. Why East and West are switched, I have no idea.

Image 10 of 55

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HARVARD
Then: Many confused this with Yale.
Now: Quite a few confused this with other Ivy League schools.

HARVARD
Then: Many confused this with Yale.
Now: Quite a few confused this with other Ivy League schools.

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WALKER
Then: The majority got this one correct.
Now: Some guessed Fargo and Hardy.

WALKER
Then: The majority got this one correct.
Now: Some guessed Fargo and Hardy.

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BOBB
Then: The majority got this one right, but some guessed Gazen.
Now: Only a couple guessed correctly, while others, like then, guessed Gazen.

BOBB
Then: The majority got this one right, but some guessed Gazen.
Now: Only a couple guessed correctly, while others, like then, guessed Gazen.

Image 14 of 55

CANAL
Then: The Press said this was one of the easy ones.
Now: Very few were tripped up by this one.

CANAL
Then: The Press said this was one of the easy ones.
Now: Very few were tripped up by this one.

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HAMILTON
Then: Most contestants got this one.
Now: Many guessed this one correctly.

HAMILTON
Then: Most contestants got this one.
Now: Many guessed this one correctly.

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MILAM
Then: Some called it Shepherd.
Now: Many also called it Shepherd but a few guessed correctly.

MILAM
Then: Some called it Shepherd.
Now: Many also called it Shepherd but a few guessed correctly.

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PIERCE
Then: This one confused one of the big prize winners.
Now: Many were tripped up by this one. Some guessed Center.

PIERCE
Then: This one confused one of the big prize winners.
Now: Many were tripped up by this one. Some guessed Center.

Image 19 of 55

ABBOTT
Then: This puzzled most of the contestants, with some guessing Bishop.
Now: This was no different. A few got this one right.

ABBOTT
Then: This puzzled most of the contestants, with some guessing Bishop.
Now: This was no different. A few got this one right.

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BUCK
Then: Confused only a small percentage.
Now: Almost everyone got this correct.

BUCK
Then: Confused only a small percentage.
Now: Almost everyone got this correct.

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HUTCHESON
Then: This sketch is a reference to Judge Joe Hutcheson. Some guessed Ben Campbell.
Now: Only a few got this one correct.

HUTCHESON
Then: This sketch is a reference to Judge Joe Hutcheson. Some guessed Ben Campbell.
Now: Only a few got this one correct.

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ANITA
Then: More than half got this correct.
Now: Only a few got this correct.

ANITA
Then: More than half got this correct.
Now: Only a few got this correct.

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EAGLE
Then: An eagle is 2 under par in golf.
Now: Some guessed Hogan, though he didn't turn professional until 1930. A few got this one correct.

EAGLE
Then: An eagle is 2 under par in golf.
Now: Some guessed Hogan, though he didn't turn professional until 1930. A few got this one correct.

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CHARTRES
Then: A chart with "RES" on it. Most got this one.
Now: Only a couple got this one. If I were doing an updated version of this contest I probably would have used a bar or pie chart.

CHARTRES
Then: A chart with "RES" on it. Most got this one.
Now: Only a couple got this one. If I were doing an updated version of this contest I probably would have used a bar or pie chart.

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AUSTIN
Then: A tin can labeled U.S. Many tripped up on this one.
Now: Many said Canfield. A few got this one correct.

AUSTIN
Then: A tin can labeled U.S. Many tripped up on this one.
Now: Many said Canfield. A few got this one correct.

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DART
Then: Confusing to many.
Now: Some said Fletcher or Arrow, but many guessed correctly.

DART
Then: Confusing to many.
Now: Some said Fletcher or Arrow, but many guessed correctly.

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BOUNDARY
Then: Less than half got it correct.
Now: Many guessed correctly on this one.

BOUNDARY
Then: Less than half got it correct.
Now: Many guessed correctly on this one.

Image 30 of 55

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FRANKLIN
Then: This phrase is attributed to Ben Franklin.
Now: Quite a few guessed this one correctly.

FRANKLIN
Then: This phrase is attributed to Ben Franklin.
Now: Quite a few guessed this one correctly.

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BAYLAND
Then: Less than 10 percent of the entries got this one correct.
Now: No one got this right.

BAYLAND
Then: Less than 10 percent of the entries got this one correct.
Now: No one got this right.

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HEIGHTS
Then: Stumped all by a very few.
Now: Same goes for today.

HEIGHTS
Then: Stumped all by a very few.
Now: Same goes for today.

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PRESTON
Then: Answered correctly by the majority.
Now: The majority got this one right.

PRESTON
Then: Answered correctly by the majority.
Now: The majority got this one right.

Image 35 of 55

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LAREDO
Then: Not very many got this one.
Now: Hardly anyone got this one.

LAREDO
Then: Not very many got this one.
Now: Hardly anyone got this one.

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QUITMAN
Then: Some called it Union.
Now: Many got this one correct.

QUITMAN
Then: Some called it Union.
Now: Many got this one correct.

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MONTROSE
Then: It didn't fool very many.
Now: Some said Montgomery or Hazard, but many guessed right on this one.

MONTROSE
Then: It didn't fool very many.
Now: Some said Montgomery or Hazard, but many guessed right on this one.

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DREW
Then: More than half got it correct.
Now: Quite a few got this one right.

DREW
Then: More than half got it correct.
Now: Quite a few got this one right.

Image 40 of 55

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COLQUITT
Then: Majority got it right.
Now: An easy one for many.

COLQUITT
Then: Majority got it right.
Now: An easy one for many.

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BINZ
Then: Two stable bins. Some were confused by this one.
Now: Some guessed Hayes, but quite a few got this one right.

BINZ
Then: Two stable bins. Some were confused by this one.
Now: Some guessed Hayes, but quite a few got this one right.

Image 43 of 55

CAPITOL
Then: Confused less than half.
Now: Many got this one right.

CAPITOL
Then: Confused less than half.
Now: Many got this one right.

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JACK
Then: This confused more than any other sketch, except for No. 45. Jack was a nickname for money.
Then: Hardly anyone got this one.

JACK
Then: This confused more than any other sketch, except for No. 45. Jack was a nickname for money.
Then: Hardly anyone got this one.

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KNOX
Then: An easy one.
Now: Many got this one.

KNOX
Then: An easy one.
Now: Many got this one.

Image 47 of 55

ACUFF
Then: Fooled very few.
Now: Many also got this one right.

ACUFF
Then: Fooled very few.
Now: Many also got this one right.

Image 48 of 55

BANKS
Then: Most got it right.
Now: Same this time around.

BANKS
Then: Most got it right.
Now: Same this time around.

Image 49 of 55

FANNIN
Then: Some called it Summer.
Now: This time was no different.

FANNIN
Then: Some called it Summer.
Now: This time was no different.

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CENTER
Then: Rose and Lilac were some of the more popular answers.
Now: Again, this time was no different.

CENTER
Then: Rose and Lilac were some of the more popular answers.
Now: Again, this time was no different.

MARION
Then: All but a few called this one Union. Stumped just about everyone.
Now: No one got this right.

MARION
Then: All but a few called this one Union. Stumped just about everyone.
Now: No one got this right.

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Find out how you stacked up against Houstonians of the 1920s in this newspaper contest

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Back to Gallery

Dozens of you were apparently brave enough to try your hand at this tremendously difficult contest. And judging from the responses I received, a lot of you had fun during this mental exercise.

Well, I’ve gone over the answers and three winners have been chosen. If you can’t wait to see the answers they’re in the photo gallery at top.

But first, some details on the contest.

The Houston Press rolled out this contest in the summer of 1925. Over the course of 45 days, the paper ran a different image asking readers to guess the name of the Houston street that was depicted in the picture. Three hundred dollars in cash prizes were doled out, with the top winner receiving $100. If the contest caught readers’ interest well after it had started, they were encouraged to purchase back issues at the newspaper (gotta make money somehow).

Judges were Julia Ideson, city librarian; Mrs. Maurice Goldman, school board member, and A.C. Ford, president of the Houston Art League.

Entries were judged not only by who got the most correct guesses, but who also put the most effort into their entry.

As such, Gladys George of 104 Palmer was the big winner in the contest. She correctly guessed 43 of 45 streets. Her answers were also neatly arranged in a booklet entitled “Port Houston” and “Where 17 Trunk Lines Meet the Sea.”

Second prize went to Nina E. McLelland who also got 43 correct. Mrs. E.P. Shannon also got 43 correct and came in third. It’s worth noting that the top 11 winners were women.

According to the paper:

“Most of the contestants named more than 30 of the streets correctly. Very few fell below that mark and in only about a dozen cases were less than 15 streets named correctly.”

No. 45 tripped up many of those who originally took part in the contest, and readers today fared no better. In both times, many of the respondents went with Union. I know you can go in different directions with some of these answers, but I’m sticking with the answers given in the Press back then.

So who won this time? Two entries got 32 correct, the highest out of everyone who took part. A random drawing broke the tie.

John C. came in first and will receive “Corduroy Road: The story of Glenn H. McCarthy” by Wallace Davis, “Fair Park Deco: Art and Architecture of the Texas Centennial Exposition” by Jim Parsons and David Bush, and “University Builder: Edgar Odell Lovett and the founding of the Rice Institute” by John B. Boles. He’ll also receive an 8×10 photo from Howard Hughes’ visit to the city in the late 1930s.

Susan H. will receive “Historic Houston: How to See It” by Lucinda Freeman, “Vengeance is Mine: The Scandalous Love Triangle That Triggered the Boyce-Sneed Feud” by Bill Neal and “Houston Blue: The Story of the Houston Police Department” by Mitchel P. Roth and Tom Kennedy.

Laura B. came in third with 31 correct guesses. She will receive “Backwoods and Byways of Texas” by Amy K. Brown and “The Crime Buff’s Guide of Outlaw Texas” by Ron Franscell.

I’ll be in touch with the winners soon. Thanks to everyone who participated. I hope to do another contest before the year is out.

Well, while we’re on the subject of former baseball fields, tomorrow (July 12) local historians will gather at the corner of Smith and Clay to unveil a historic marker honoring West End Park. The park was Houston’s second professional sports venue and was the site of many baseball and football games over the years before Buff Stadium came on the scene.